Johnny Sauter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johnny Sauter
Sauter at Martinsville Speedway in 2019
Born	Jonathan Joseph Sauter (1978-05-01) May 1, 1978 (age 47) Necedah, Wisconsin, U.S.
Achievements	2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Champion 2017 Oktoberfest winner 2001 ASA National Tour Champion
Awards	2009 Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2001 ASA National Tour Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
85 races run over 11 years
2015 position	61st
Best finish	30th (2007)
First race	2003 Tropicana 400 (Chicagoland)
Last race	2015 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 3 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
207 races run over 12 years
2018 position	99th
Best finish	8th (2003, 2006)
First race	2001 Autolite / Fram 250 (Richmond)
Last race	2018 Lake Region 200 (New Hampshire)
First win	2002 Tropicana Twister 300 (Chicagoland)
Last win	2005 SBC 250 (Milwaukee)
Wins Top tens Poles 3 50 4
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
325 races run over 21 years
Truck no., team	No. 66 (ThorSport Racing)
2024 position	39th
Best finish	1st (2016)
First race	2003 O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)
Last race	2025 Fresh From Florida 250 (Daytona)
First win	2009 Las Vegas 350 (Las Vegas)
Last win	2019 JEGS 200 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles 24 186 9
Statistics current as of November 8, 2024.

Jonathan Joseph Sauter (born May 1, 1978), known as Johnny Sauter, is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently races part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He drives the No. 66 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing.

Sauter has also competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Racing runs in his family. He is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter. His brothers, Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter, are also NASCAR drivers. He is also the uncle of Travis Sauter. Johnny Sauter won the 2016 Truck Series championship.

Johnny Sauter's Racing Journey

Starting His Racing Career

After finishing high school in 1996, Johnny Sauter started racing in different amateur series. These races took place in Wisconsin and the Midwest. By the end of 1997, he had won three races in the Sportsman Division. He also won a Late Model Division race at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway. In 1998, Sauter joined the American Speed Association Series. He became the ASA Series Champion in 2001.

NASCAR Debut and Early Years (2001–2008)

In 2001, after winning the ASA Championship, Sauter got a chance to race in the Busch Series. Richard Childress Racing invited him to drive the No. 21 Chevrolet in five races. He finished in the top 15 in three of these races. His best finish was 5th at Richmond.

Sauter receiving the Busch Pole Award for the 2005 SBC 250, a race which he would later win.

In 2002, Childress hired Sauter to race full-time in the Busch Series. He earned five top 10 finishes. He also got his first Busch Series win at Chicagoland Speedway in the Tropicana Twister 300. In 2003, Sauter continued racing in the Busch Series. He had 14 top 10 finishes and won another race at Richmond. He finished 8th in the driver standings that year.

Sauter also made his first start in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2003. He drove for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in five races. He also raced in three Craftsman Truck Series events. In 2004, he raced full-time in the Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing. Later that year, he joined Phoenix Racing. He also raced a full Busch Series schedule.

Sauter practicing for the 2007 Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In 2005, Sauter joined Phoenix Racing full-time. He had 11 top 10 finishes and won a race at his home track in Milwaukee. He also competed in ten Cup races that year. For 2006, he moved to Haas CNC Racing. He earned one pole position and nine top 10 finishes. In 2007, he raced full-time in the Cup Series for Haas. He had two top 10 finishes and ended the season 30th in points. In 2008, Sauter raced for several teams in different series.

Full-Time in the Truck Series (2009–2021)

Sauter returned to the Truck Series full-time in 2009. He joined ThorSport Racing. He won his first Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He also earned the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award. In 2010, he won his second Truck Series race at Kansas.

In 2011, Sauter won his third career Truck Series race at Martinsville. He also won the season-finale race. However, he finished second in the championship by a small margin. He continued his winning streak in 2012. He won the WinStar World Casino 400K.

Sauter after winning the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship

In 2013, Sauter started the season with a win at Daytona International Speedway. He also won at Martinsville. This made him only the second driver to win the first two races of the Truck Series season. In 2015, while racing full-time in the Truck Series, Sauter also competed in local races in Wisconsin. He won several of these events.

On October 15, 2015, Sauter announced he would join GMS Racing for 2016. He won his first race with GMS at Daytona. He then won at Martinsville and Texas in the playoffs. This helped him reach the championship final. Sauter won the championship at Homestead, finishing 3rd in that race.

He had a strong 2017 season, winning races at Dover, Chicagoland, Texas, and Phoenix. He made it to the championship final again. He finished 3rd in the final race, but ended up second in the standings by just one point. Sauter started 2018 by winning the Daytona race for the third time. He also won at Dover, Charlotte, Texas, Bristol, and Martinsville. He finished 4th in the points standings. In May 2018, Sauter also raced in two NASCAR Xfinity Series races.

On January 9, 2019, GMS Racing and Sauter parted ways. He then rejoined ThorSport Racing. He won a race at Dover in May. At Iowa, NASCAR penalized him for wrecking another driver under caution. He was suspended for the next race. Despite this, he remained eligible for the playoffs. However, an engine problem in Las Vegas ended his playoff run. He finished 6th in the final standings.

In 2020, Sauter did not win a race. He also missed the Truck Series playoffs for the first time since they started in 2016. He finished 13th in the standings. In 2021, ThorSport Racing switched to Toyota engines. Sauter still did not win a race and missed the playoffs again. He finished 12th in the standings.

Part-Time Racing (2022–Present)

After two challenging seasons, Sauter became a part-time driver for ThorSport in 2022. He also raced for other teams like G2G Racing and Young's Motorsports. In 2023, he was set to race for G2G at Daytona again, but another driver replaced him just before the race. Later that year, he joined Roper Racing for some races.

In 2024, Sauter continued to race part-time. He competed for Niece Motorsports and Hattori Racing Enterprises. He also drove for ThorSport Racing. As of July 2025, he is still racing part-time for ThorSport Racing in the No. 66 Ford F-150.

Personal Life

Johnny Sauter lives in Necedah, Wisconsin, with his family. In his free time, he enjoys flying, fishing, and playing the banjo. He is a Catholic.